Latest news with #ThomasGriffiths
Times
01-06-2025
- Health
- Times
I won longer sentences for killers. This is what I want next
Carole Gould has recurring nightmares about walking past her daughter's killer on the street. The family live in the home in Calne, Wiltshire, where in May 2019 Gould's husband, Matt, returned from work to discover Ellie, 17, lying on the kitchen floor with 13 stab wounds to her neck and face. She had been killed by her first boyfriend, Thomas Griffiths, who was 17 and seven months old when he bunked off school, travelled to her house and attacked her with one of the family's steak knives the day after she ended their relationship. Griffiths has served about six years of his 12½-year sentence, but Gould understands he could be eligible for transfer to an open prison and weekend visits to the family home in about three years' time. Their home is two miles from where Griffiths' parents live. 'Can you imagine how traumatic it would be for us and Ellie's friends to see him walking around here?' Gould said. 'This is one of many things we want to fight — the idea he could be having weekends at home at taxpayers' expense.' In the space of six years Gould, 55, a part-time estate agent, has campaigned tirelessly and won several victories to secure greater justice for the families of girls and women killed by ex-boyfriends after a break-up. Despite a number of successes, for which she was made an OBE this year, there is still much to do. 'I've felt like I have to be Ellie's voice because she did believe in justice and what was right and wrong,' Gould said. 'I wonder what she'd be saying if she could shout down to us. I'm sure she'd be so angry he took her life away when she had so much to live for. I'm sure she would be proud, but I'd give it all up in a heartbeat to have her back.' Because of Gould's campaign, sentencing guidelines changed in 2021 so teenage killers are treated almost as adults. 'Ellie's Law' meant Axel Rudakubana, 17, who killed three girls in Southport last year, started at a minimum of 27 years as opposed to 12. He was jailed for a total of 52 years. Working with other bereaved mothers such as Julie Devey — whose daughter Poppy, 24, was stabbed in her student flat by an ex-boyfriend in 2018 — Gould successfully campaigned for judges to consider aggravating factors such as where disproportionate force was used to murder, and recognise the impact of coercive behaviour. Now, a week after the government published its sentencing review by the Tory former justice secretary David Gauke, Gould has thoughts on how the justice system needs to change to give a sense of real justice to families who have lost young women to violence by men. She is calling for: • The minimum tariff for murder on the street and the home to be equalised at 25 years. • The introduction of restricted zones that contain offenders' movements to a small area, including preventing them from entering an area where their victim's family lives once they are released from prison. She wants to see restricted zones in place for life. • Greater availability and use of blunt knives in homes and across the country. Goal No 1 is to reform domestic homicide sentencing, increasing the minimum sentence for murder in the home from 15 to 25 years, in line with the minimum tariff for murder on the street where a weapon is taken to the scene. 'What grieved me so much with Ellie's case is the idea that if a youth over 18 goes out with a knife in a town and stabs someone, he would straight away get 25 years as a starting point,' Gould said. 'But when it comes to violence in the home, which is more often against women, it's just not taken as seriously.' She is also supporting the Let's Be Blunt campaign encouraging people to choose round-tipped kitchen knives. It was started by Leanne Lucas, the dance teacher who was critically injured as she protected children targeted by Rudakubana in Southport. Three quarters of all domestic homicides involve a kitchen knife, according to the Office for National Statistics. 'He'll be petrified in prison' In the independent sentencing review, Gauke said the prison capacity crisis 'requires us to set out proposals in which some people who currently receive custodial sentences are, instead, punished in the community and that some of those who still receive custodial sentences spend less time in prison than was previously the case'. Gould warned that current methods for assessing parole could be inadequate if specialist advisers on domestic abuse and gender-based violence are not used. 'My grievance with Gauke's review is that they're basing parole on good behaviour in prison,' she said. 'Somebody like Griffiths will be petrified in prison because he's a middle-class boy among gang members — obviously he's going to be behaving. How can you say whether he's going to be a danger to women when he gets out? There ought to be a domestic abuse adviser on the parole board for a case like his.' Through her Killed Women network, Gould repeatedly hears about women whose attackers have been released from prison and committed further violence. She referred to the case of Mark Keel, 33, who was jailed for 22 years last week for killing his partner, Maxine Clark, at her Glasgow home. Clark, 36, a mother of four, had previously been attacked by Keel, who had been jailed for domestic violence in 2022 and has abuse convictions from three previous relationships. Years of campaigning Gould has been fighting the justice system almost since the day six years ago when she left Ellie at home to be picked up by a friend for school. The hard-working, vivacious and popular girl had ended her relationship with Griffiths, a quiet prefect at her school, the night before. She was weeks away from the results for her first year of A-levels and an extended project entitled: 'Should child murderers be punished?' CCTV showed Griffiths was dropped at school by his mother that morning. He waited until she drove away before getting a bus home and changing into black shoes and clothing. After the murder he began a cover-up. He gave the bloodied clothes he was wearing to his mother to wash and dumped kitchen towels used to mop Ellie's blood in a nearby wood. He texted friends that scratches on his neck, the product of Ellie trying to defend herself, were self-harm because he was depressed about family illnesses. • Why abusive partners who kill at home get off lightly The judge considered Griffiths's violation of the home as a place of safety and his attempted cover-up as aggravating factors which would increase his sentence from a minimum of 12 years. However, mitigating factors lowered the sentence to 12½ years. These included his age, the fact that he had pleaded guilty three months after his arrest, a letter demonstrating remorse he sent to the judge, and that he did not bring a weapon to the scene. Encounters with killer's parents In the wake of the Netflix series Adolescence, which the Goulds watched together, parents and teachers across the country have been having conversations about toxic masculinity, incel (involuntary celibate) culture and the rise of misogynistic influencers such as Andrew Tate. 'I often wonder with Griffiths whether he did this because he was always on the internet,' Gould said. She was told by a friend of Ellie that he was insecure about his masculinity, once storming out of a gym after she asked a different boy to get a weight down from a high shelf for her. Schools ought to be having more conversations with teenagers about healthy relationships, she said, spotting controlling behaviour and reassuring young boys so they did not believe the world was against them. Gould also wants restricted zones — ensuring that high-risk former prisoners are only able to live, work and travel in specific ares of the UK — in place for the rest of ex-prisoners' lives. Otherwise, she says, his presence in their home town would turn it into a 'prison'. She gave an example of Julie Butcher's family, who live in nearby Swindon. Butcher's killer husband said that after his 13-year sentence he wanted to return home there — to the same area where her sister Emma lived. Staying in the area has meant that the Goulds have seen the Griffiths family a couple of times. On the first anniversary of Ellie's death, Carole Gould confronted his parents, she said. 'They said that their lives had been destroyed, which I get. But I said to her, mother to mother, all I've got left of my precious daughter is a box of ashes and a lock of hair because of the monstrous act of your son.' '[Ellie] should have gone to university, probably to study psychology. She should have passed her driving test. She could have gone travelling. She could now be starting out in her career as a police woman, which she was considering. You mourn your loss going forward: we'll never see her get married, we'll never see her have children. This is why 12½ years is just not long enough to reflect the damage it's done to us.' The Ministry of Justice said a review of homicide law would be conducted by the independent Law Commission. 'We are already working at pace to introduce statutory aggravating factors for murders involving strangulation and relationship breakdowns,' a spokesman said. 'We are also looking at options on knives and will be meeting manufacturers and retailers to discuss increasing sales of rounded-tipped knives shortly.'
The Sun
06-05-2025
- The Sun
My daughter, 17, was knifed 15 times by ex in real-life Adolescence plot… pathetic jail term means he'll soon walk free
A-LEVEL student Ellie Gould was a vivacious 17-year-old with a bright future ahead of her when she met Thomas Griffiths. But when she split with him after a brief romance, because he was becoming too "controlling", the cold-blooded teen, also 17, took revenge by stabbing her to death. He strangled Ellie before stabbing her 15 times in the kitchen of her own home in Calne, Wiltshire. Leaving her to die in a pool of blood, he was later arrested and at Bristol Crown Court in November 2019, he was handed a life sentence. This weekend, her loving parents Carole Gould OBE, 54, and husband, Matthew, 57, marked the painful anniversary of her death - which mirrored the murder from the recent Netflix drama Adolescence - by spending a day of quiet remembrance by the coast. But six years on they're still grappling with the devastating knowledge that despite their daughter's violent murder, her killer's life sentence, in this case, has not meant life. Carole told The Sun: 'The anniversary is a very painful day. 'People think we are alright but every day is hard. We will never get over this. How can we? 'The justice system let Ellie and our family down. She had bravely ended the relationship because he'd become too controlling. 'Less than 24 hours later, he murdered her, and it's an insult we haven't got the justice we deserve. 'Ellie was such a bright, bubbly, vivacious, popular young lady and to this day, the question I would still like to ask Griffiths is 'why?' Why did he do it?' I want him to own it. 'He admitted he was guilty because he knew this would benefit him to help cut his sentence down and his final words to the police and his barrister were: 'I blacked out; I can't remember' - but he knows exactly why. It's disgusting.' Hopes for change Shockingly for Ellie's family, Griffiths will be up for parole a lot sooner than anyone would expect. It's one of the main reasons why Carole is taking part in a challenging Channel 5 social experiment, called You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment, hosted by Anne Robinson, on Tuesday. The 90-minute programme - which reveals that 71 per cent of the British public think the justice system is too soft - will painstakingly reconstruct four real sentence hearings of convicted offenders, including Ellie's. They'll then ask viewers what minimum sentence they would give if they were the court judge. We haven't included the details of the sentence Ellie's murderer must serve – in order not to spoil proceedings ahead of the mock TV court hearing. 'This is really bittersweet for me,' admitted Carole. 'As obviously I wish this had never happened. 'But I am determined to seek a change in the law and that's why I wanted to take part in this programme. Anyone who is capable of stabbing, and strangling first, should in my mind stay locked up forever. Carole Gould 'I hope the public will call for change after watching and it will be interesting to hear what viewers think Griffiths should have got. We certainly don't believe his minimum sentence is justice for Ellie and it makes me so upset. 'In our world, we would like him to never see daylight again. That's unrealistic with the current laws, I know, but anyone who is capable of stabbing, and strangling first, should in my mind stay locked up forever.' A lot of the reasoning behind Griffith's soft sentence was due to 'mitigating circumstances' - which include him admitting guilt before his plea hearing, not carrying a weapon to Ellie's home, a character reference from his grandmother and not being an adult when he committed the crime (he was 17). No justice Four groups, including former inmates and retired judges, will also give their views during the powerful TV doc that also highlights how our soft justice system can let celebrities, like Huw Edwards, walk away free. The former BBC presenter was convicted as a paedophile last September following The Sun's award-winning investigation. 'Paedophiles, rapists, murderers, violent people should all have the full thrust of the law,' stressed Carole. 'We need change and any campaign work, like The Sun's call for a change in the law to sentencing of paedophiles, is important." And although she praised Channel 5 for carrying out the televised experiment to encourage a national debate, she says she is also furious Government Ministers and the Law Commission are dragging their feet. New laws 10 Ever since her daughter's murder, Carole has been campaigning hard for new legislation. In 2021, she successfully saw Ellie's Law introduced that looks at increasing the term of sentence for teenage killers and sees someone like Griffiths treated more like an adult. This law was instrumental in helping the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the horrific murders, receive a much longer sentence. But this legislation has very little impact on murders which happen in the home, revealed Carol. Ellie was such a bright, bubbly, vivacious, popular young lady and to this day, the question I would still like to ask Griffiths is 'why?' Why did he do it?' I want him to own it. Carol Gould, Ellie's mum The Law Commission was due to outline a timeline for how it would look to overhaul sentencing for homicides in January after announcing a review in December. 'But nothing so far has appeared,' she fumed. 'I have spent the last six years campaigning, so it's not like the information isn't out there. It's unbelievable how things take so long. The Ministry of Justice deliberately misled the public. 'When you hear 'imprisoned for life', it doesn't mean that at all. Our legal system is not fit for purpose. There needs to be a levelling up on sentencing – a murder that takes place in the home should be treated with the same respect as a street murder. So why haven't they moved with the times yet? 'And why should it be up to me, a parent, to point out the failures?' Call for more change 10 Speaking directly to the Prime Minister via The Sun, she added: 'I want to send a personal message to Sir Keir today. 'The Government's duty is to protect the public, first and foremost, and the Ministry of Justice's ineffectiveness to lock dangerous offenders up for a long time is not doing that and putting us all at risk. 'There seems to be no sense of urgency. The Labour government is dragging its feet and I can't believe I am still having to point this out. 'We are years away from any significant change and this is not what the public wants. 'We have had legal advice that says Secondary legislation could be implemented in months. So why isn't it?' No amount of legislation can bring Carole's beautiful daughter Ellie back. In March she received an OBE from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace, for her work setting up a group, Killed Women, helping bereaved families, alongside co-founder Julie Devey, whose daughter, Poppy, was also murdered. But, although an honour, Carole says it 'very bittersweet.' When you hear 'imprisoned for life', it doesn't mean that at all. Our legal system is not fit for purpose. Carol Gould, Ellie's mum Reflecting on the poignant day, she said: 'People there were really happy because they had achieved something marvellous and we were there and to be honest, we didn't really want any of it. 'There was an awkward moment when someone came up and said: 'what are you getting your OBE for?' And what do you say to that? 'When you tell them, their jaws drop, it's difficult. 'Moments before we went to meet Princess Anne, we were both in tears trying to pull ourselves together. But she was really nice and so supportive.' Carole hopes TV programmes, like tonight's special as part of the broadcaster's Lawless Britain season, will help to apply more pressure. 'This programme is important and I hope the public will back us,' explained Carole. 'I will continue to speak out until there is change.' Netflix's Adolescence - which follows a 13-year-old who has stabbed a schoolgirl to death after he rejected her - was, she adds, a hard watch but she hopes they will consider a sequel. 'It would be good if there was a follow-up Adolescence drama looking at it from the victim's family perspective,' she said. 'This should never be my job to speak out but I hope after they read this today, Sir Keir Starmer and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood will have a face-to-face meeting to tell us why there is a delay overhauling our justice system. We need stronger sentences.'
